How to use the SDGs for Impact Evaluation and Strategy Planning

If you want to evaluate your impact and understand how your activities are contributing to creating a better and more sustainable future, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an invaluable framework to begin with. 

These goals encompass a range of objectives, from addressing poverty and inequality to managing climate change and other environmental issues, with the potential to make meaningful contributions for everyone from businesses to communities. 

With the SDGs, organisations have the freedom to pursue multiple positive outcomes and can use the data and indicators to track their progress towards achieving the goals. It can also be helpful to identify which of your values and activities align with the various goals. 

Using the SDGs as a foundation for evaluation and strategy planning is a great way to identify the meaningful impact your organisation can make now and, in the future, but also to communicate this value through a common, relatable language. 

This framework is also extremely powerful for measuring social impact; it provides straightforward and comparable indicators, and targets.